Rep. DesJarlais Fined For Sexual Relationships With Patients, What Will Rep. Kline Say?

Today, the Times Free Press reported that Congressman Scott DesJarlais, who Congressman John Kline recently helped raise money for his re-election campaign, has been fined by the state for having sexual relationships with his patients.

According to the newspaper, “The congressman must pay the $500 fine -- $250 per patient, according to the order -- within 60 days. Documents also show he's responsible for up to $1,000 in costs for the state's investigation.”

“Congressman Kline should have known long before he agreed to serve as a fundraising host that standing with Scott DesJarlais was wrong for Minnesota,” said Brandon Lorenz of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Congressman Kline’s willingness to side with DesJarlais in an attempt to redefine rape and serve as a host for a fundraiser with someone who had sexual relationships with patients is another sign that Congressman Kline has lost touch with Minnesota values after a decade in Washington.”

BACKGROUND

According to media reports, Congressman Kline agreed to serve as a host for a $500-a-person fundraiser for DesJarlais. View the invitation here

DesJarlais Forced To Pay Fines for Unethical Conduct. According to the Times Free Press, “The congressman must pay the $500 fine -- $250 per patient, according to the order -- within 60 days. Documents also show he's responsible for up to $1,000 in costs for the state's investigation.” [Times Free Press, 5/24/13]

Congressmen Kline and DesJarlais Attempted to Redefine Rape. In 2011, both DesJarlais and Kline joined to co-sponsor the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortions Act, a bill that would have redefined a ban on federal funding for abortions to exempt only “forcible rape” and not “rape” generally. Under the language initially proposed by the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortions Act, rape would have become “forcible rape.” The Washington Post reported that the bill’s critics believed “the modifier could distinguish it from other kinds of sexual assault that are typically recognized as rape, including statutory rape and attacks that occur because of drugs or verbal threats.” [Washington Post, 2/01/11; HR 3 Co-Sponsors, 112th Congress]

Did Congressman Kline Support Congressman DesJarlais’ History of Having Sex With Patients and Pressuring One to Have an Abortion? According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press,“A family practice doctor, DesJarlais was forced to empty his war chest when court records revealed a checkered past days before the election. Interviews and documents showed he had sex with two female patients and tried to persuade one to get an abortion.” [Chattanooga Times Free Press, 2/24/13]

Did Congressman Kline Not Mind That Congressman DesJarlais was Under Investigation? The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported: “Embattled U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn., told a Nashville television station Friday that state Health Department investigators have already spoken to him about complaints that he had sex with at least two patients, one of whom he urged to get an abortion in 2000. DesJarlais acknowledged in the interview with WKRN-TV reporter Chris Bungaard that officials are actively investigating the complaints, one of which was filed during his 2012 campaign by the Washington-based Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. The other was filed by the Tennessee Democratic Party.” [Chattanooga Times Free Press, 1/05/13]

Did Congressman Kline Support DesJarlais’ History of Getting His Patients-Lovers Gifts and Medications?According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, “Court documents obtained by the Chattanooga Times Free Press confirmed that the anti-abortion politician supported his ex-wife’s abortions in the 1990s; slept with patients and co-workers while chief of staff at a Jasper hospital; bought expensive gifts for his patient-lovers; and prescribed one pain medication during their affair.” [Chattanooga Times Free Press, 2/24/13]

Did Congressman Kline Not Think Congressman DesJarlais was Setting New Records “for Creepiness and Depravity?” One of Congressman Kline’s hometown newspapers, the City Pages, wrote that Congressman DesJarlais was one of a group of members of Congress “setting new records for creepiness and depravity.” According to CityPages: “To save his marriage — and prove the affair was over — the Tennessee Tomcat devised the most misguided coverup since Watergate. He secretly recorded a conversation with his mistress in which he pressured her to get an abortion... Last November, the congressman's 700-page divorce-trial testimony went public. In it, he admitted to affairs with three co-workers, a drug rep, and two other patients. He also confessed to encouraging his wife to get two abortions before they were married.” [CityPages, 2/27/2013]